WORCESTER — Seven of the nine people running for six School Committee seats talked about everything from curriculum to athletics at a candidates forum held Wednesday night by the Citywide Parent Planning Advisory Council, the only citywide organization for parents of Worcester public school students.

While some questions went to only a few of the candidates, all of the candidates were asked why people should vote for them and what they would do to make more families choose Worcester public schools.

Incumbent Dianna L. Biancheria said the district can attract families "by having the most opportunities, the most engagement, having sidewalk appeal," and added that leaders should "listen to what our parents and our teachers ... have to tell us."

Challenger Robert J. Cohane, who has children in the schools and is co-chairman of CPPAC, said "serious commitment to the financial investment in the schools" is key, and advocating for that is the primary reason he is running.

Incumbent Donna M. Colorio, who has a daughter in the schools, said should we be a strong advocate for successful programs, and that should draw people in. "If we can allocate our budget properly, we can have more programs," she said.

Incumbent Jack L. Foley said, "The commitment to rigor has to be there for all students." He added that word of mouth is an important advertising tool, and increased school funding is important, as is creating a sense of ownership among principals, teachers and students at a school.

Incumbent John F. Monfredo, a former principal, said the committee should "be as transparent as possible about the good things we're doing in our schools" and "make sure that safety is a commitment in every school, and make sure parents realize that."

Incumbent Tracy O'Connell Novick, who has children in the schools, said the district needs to publicize families' ability to choose among schools within the district for specific programs and be more accessible to the media. "Make it easy for the press to tell good stories about us," she said.

Challenger Hilda Ramirez said schools need to be connected to students' interests, whether that lies in the arts, sports, technology, science or another area, "so that kids have fun learning while they continue to engage."

Here's a snapshot of what the candidates said on other issues:

Ms. Biancheria: The School Department should continue joint meetings between subcommittees of the School Committee and City Council. She supports an exam school within a comprehensive high school. If schools wants sports teams to be more successful, they should be reaching out to parents, too, she said. On student suspensions, she said: "As a district, we need to find other choices."

Mr. Cohane: He would create a five-year plan so school funding is more predictable. He said an exam school would be too expensive, believes there needs to be a feeder system of middle school sports, supports changing the entering age for kindergarten to 5 by Sept. 1 instead of Dec. 31, and believes aspects of the suspension policy are "counterproductive."

Ms. Colorio: She said the city side of government "really hasn't taken a close look at our budget." She supports an exam school but not an International Baccalaureate program. She would use the naturalization test that immigrants must pass to become citizens as a graduation requirement. She believes the "root cause of all suspensions are drugs and alcohol."

Mr. Foley: The city funding the district slightly over the required minimum is "a beginning," but he believes the city should also take a smaller share of the district's grants. He supports national standards but wants schools to focus on content. He does not think the naturalization test should be a graduation requirement. He said there's a strong need to get children into school "at the earliest possible age."

Mr. Monfredo: "We need an adequate budget, and we don't have one." When asked about the Common Core curriculum, he pointed out that while the curriculum is mainly the same for all states that adopt it, it's up to teachers and districts to decide how to teach the content. He believes the naturalization test should be given, but not as a graduation requirement.

Ms. Novick: If parents want better school funding, they should take that message to the City Council and the state, not just School Committee members, who do not set the bottom line of their budget. She believes the Common Core is neither best nor the worst thing to happen to schools and that teachers and districts need to implement it "carefully and thoughtfully."

Ms. Ramirez: The schools should leverage resources from partners and pursue more grants. The district should try harder to get students involved in sports and to spark their engagement in education through their outside interests. She believes the committee can have better conversations with parents and the community if they speak to them in "regular terms, not educational lingo."

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